Protein is a macronutrient, along with carbohydrates and fat; each macronutrient has a specific calorie content per gram. Knowing how many calories are in each gram of protein allows you to make informed dietary decisions.
Protein is a building block that your body uses to make bones, muscles and skin. You get it from food you eat, like meat, fish, dairy products and nuts. Vegetarians need to combine their food intake to get all of the necessary amino acids that are...
Limiting intake of dietary fat is high on many people's health to-do lists. High-fat diets are associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke, and many high-fat foods are higher in cholesterol and lower in nutrients. One gram of fat...
In terms of nutrition, "caloric" refers to calories, or the energy-producing capability of food. When doctors and nutritionists refer to caloric intake or the caloric content of food, they are referring to the amount of heat or energy produced...
Fat is one of three sources of calories in the diet, along with protein and carbohydrates. The amount of fat in a diet can have a number of different effects. Not only does each gram of fat contain more than twice as many calories as a gram of...
You went on a bodybuilding diet to get ripped, so you may be wondering why you're getting larger but not cut. Bodybuilding diets allow you more calories than your body needs, so there is enough leftover energy to promote muscle growth. Of course,...
Having adequate amounts of fat in your diet helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat in the diet also supplies your body with energy. A gram of fat contains nine calories, while a gram of either protein or carbohydrates...
Eating food is how your body takes in the calories it needs to fuel activity from breathing to running to watching television. Although all types of food deliver energy of the same type, different kinds of food -- such as proteins as compared to...
Fats in general have gotten a bad rap. They cause weight gain, high cholesterol and heart disease. However, not all fats are the same. Unsaturated fats, known as monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat, are good fats. Unlike their evil...
The four main types of fat: trans, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. A result of artificial processing and with no nutritional value, trans fat should be avoided entirely. It is important to balance intake of the remaining three...
Calories and protein are two important nutritional components that make up a part of everyone's diet. The caloric and protein content of foods differ widely. Some foods are high in calories and low in protein, while others are relatively high in...
Chocolate, once derided as a high-fat indulgence, may actually benefit your health. Cocoa and chocolate contain naturally occurring antioxidants called flavonoids that can reduce the formation of plaque on artery walls and promote better heart...
Losing weight isn't about restricting yourself to one meal a day, or not eating anything at all. It's about introducing healthy eating so it becomes part of your lifestyle. Remember, how you eat is just as important as what you eat.
It's not unusual to find you need to lose weight following gallbladder removal. Many people with gallbladder disease are overweight and obese, and obesity-related conditions such as diabetes can accelerate your gallbladder disease, necessitating...
Everyone's body is shaped differently, and sometimes life isn't fair. You may diet down to the point where you're finally proud of your thighs, only to realize your ribs stick out in a most unattractive manner. Or you may be naturally thin, but...
Losing fat requires restriction. When you give your body less food than it needs, it draws on stored energy to keep you going. There is no set number of calories that will make you lose weight. Your calorie needs are determined by a number of...
An apple-shaped body accumulates excess fat around the waist rather than on the hips and thighs. Although excess fat anywhere is less than ideal, abdominal fat is potentially dangerous. It is linked with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes,...
With all the bad press that calories and fat receive, you'd think that they are bad things. While it's true that many people eat far more fat and calories than is necessary, we all need a certain amount of fat and calories for growth and...
If your high-octane metabolism won't let you gain weight, you're not alone. About 6 percent of all adults in the United States are clinically underweight -- defined as having a body mass index of 18.5 or less -- the American Academy of Family...
Avocados are a versatile fruit that can be enjoyed plain, made into guacamole or tossed into a cold salad. Most produce is naturally low in fat and calories, but avocados are high in both. While this may discourage you from eating avocados, the...
In order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of fats, you need to know the types of fats and how those fats work in your body. Fats serve various functions, but too many can cause harm to your health. Choosing healthy fats will ensure...
No matter how many ads you see that say otherwise, doing endless repetitions of abdominal crunches will not melt away belly fat. That's the bad news. The good news is that with a combination of resistance training, a focused diet and...
To lose weight and maintain that loss, nutrition experts often advise choosing a low fat diet. This primarily is due to the fact that each gram of fat provides more than twice as many calories as a gram of either protein or carbohydrates. Because...
Muscle weakness is a common side effect of low-carb diets, but it doesn't have to be. The trick is to balance your nutrients carefully -- low-carb doesn't mean no-carb, and your high-protein diet may be lower in protein than you think. According...
The right diet is vital to the serious gymnast. Excess weight and degraded muscles won't get you very far in the sport, and focusing on a healthy diet year-round allows you to avoid crash diets in an attempt to drop weight before competition...
If you are overweight, you may be convinced that nothing is more difficult than losing weight. However, for those who are underweight, packing on pounds can be just as challenging. High-fat foods are a good choice for adding weight because fats...
With so many different diets to choose from, you need to find the one that will work for you. The high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet is an option that can improve heart health while helping you lose weight.
Losing weight frequently represents a game of numbers: counting calories or counting grams of carbohydrates. However, it's possible to count calories and carbs at the same time during a diet. If you want to lose weight, you might want to consider...
Gaining lean body mass can provide you with more strength for everyday tasks, and building muscle can also help maintain proper metabolic regulation and prevent many common pathological conditions and diseases as well. Gaining excess fat, on the...
